Recorded over the course of five sessions between February 1950 and February 1952, Kaleidoscope was held back from release until 1957. Quite why Prestige Records delayed in getting the album out on to the market has never been adequately explained; Sonny Stitt was a well known name even in 1952, so it could not have been fear that as a relative unknown his recordings would disappear without trace. It cannot be the quality of the music either, for when it was released it attracted positive reviews and has maintained that status over the years. Indeed, a contemporary review states that this album dispels any notion that Sonny was all fire and no grace and the album delivers one of the top sets of performances from the late bebop era.